Saturday, January 2, 2016

A new year

Whether we admit it or not, there is something special about
the new year.I am not referring to the
eve, which I feel is far too overrated, over-celebrated, exaggerated and just
plain pointless.That celebration hints
of gratitude that we survived another year, which, to be frank, I find
short-sighted, and somewhat defeatist.

The new year, however, January 1, feels like the world’s
birthday (and I love birthdays).Think
about it – you change calendars, remember what you did that day/night (more
than the 2nd, 3rd, etc.), you reach out to friends and
relatives you don’t often see/speak to with greetings of happiness and joy, and
you almost always have some ritual attached to the day.As I was reading the news paper today, I also
felt like the day was one where you look away from the micro- everyday stuff
for a moment and take stock of the big picture – the year in the market,
climate change, fight against poverty, scientific achievements, Nobel prize
winners, wins and losses, and so on. And I believe those reflections have great
opportunities to teach and inspire us. What’s more, this wonderful,
inexplicable ‘hope’ attached to the start of a new year emboldens us with a
willful, can-do attitude.And that is
definitely worth celebrating.

So when we exchange new year’s greetings, we’d always be
well-served to think of what we can change, transform, improve, sing, paint,
draw to make our lives, and this world that much better.